the_new_macys_paradefandomcom-20200214-history
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character who is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company. Created by Walt Disney and his cartoonist partner Ub Iwerks, he has become one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world. An anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears outfits with a red, yellow and white color scheme, Mickey is depicted as a pleasant, cheerful everyman with a mischievous and adventurous side, who lives in his own universe with his girlfriend Minnie and various friends. Mickey debuted in Steamboat Willie, one of the first cartoons with sound, in 1928. Mickey went on to star in over 100 short films, and various feature films such as Fantasia. He has also been featured in a newspaper comic strip, several comic book series, television series such as The Mickey Mouse Club, and video games; and has also been a mainstay meetable character at Disney's theme parks. In 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to be honored with a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame." History with the Macy's Parade In the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Mickey has appeared as a balloon in four versions. The first balloon appeared in 1934, making him the third pop-culture character to have a licensed balloon in the parade. This balloon was 40 feet high, 26 feet wide, and required 25 handlers. To tie-in with Macy's, Walt Disney himself recommended the balloon have a star on his chest to represent the Macy's Logo. Alongside Mickey in the parade were fellow Disney characters Pluto, Horace Horsecollar, Practical Pig, the Big Bad Wolf, and eventually Donald Duck. In 1936, the balloon got a minor paint job to have a bigger star on his chest. This balloon was retired after 1937. He was moved to Boston for the Santason Parade in 1938 and he hasn't been seen since. A second balloon, which was slightly more colorful, was created and test flighted in 1971 and was scheduled to debut that year alongside Smile to celebrate the opening of the Walt Disney World resort in Florida. However, strong winds reaching up to 60 mph and heavy rain mixed together to create weather unsuitable for flying balloons, thus resulting in the only occasion in parade history where the giant balloons were grounded. And so he started his first march in 1972, appearing alongside his pal Donald Duck. 1935 and 1972 are the only years in the parades history where Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse both appeared in the parade together as balloons. The balloon continued to appear until after the 1983 parade due to extreme damage done to the balloon during preparation. But Mickey didn't Stop There. In 1986 he was mentioned along with many classic balloons including Snoopy, Linus, Bullwinkle,Smokey, Happy Dragon, Sinclair Oil Dinosaur and even his pal Donald Duck ( The clip was From 1982, which means we found another 1982 footage of balloons along with Snoopy) After 17 years of absence, Mickey returned in 2000 with a "Bandleader" balloon, which led that year's balloon lineup. This balloon did not return after that year. Several years later, a fourth balloon of Mickey was made, depicting him as a sailor; it debuted in 2009 to celebrate the announcement of the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy cruise ships. This new Mickey was retired in 2012, as both ships had set sail by that time. Additionally, Mickey's "meetable character" version from the Disney Parks has appeared in the parade on various occasions. The Mickey walk-around first appeared in the 1968 parade, to celebrate the character's 40th birthday. He later appeared during the second Mickey balloon's test flight, and appeared from 1972 to 1980 on a "Castle" float honoring the then-new Walt Disney World, then in 1981 on a float promoting that park's "Tencennial" anniversary celebration. After 1982, the Mickey walk-around did not appear regularly in the Macy's parade, due to the Disney Parks having their own Christmas Day parade, which was first telecast in 1983 and is filmed exactly one month before Christmas; and also due to Disney's acquisition of ABC, whose affiliate WPVI has since featured Mickey on a "castle" float at its own Thanksgiving Day parade. However, he did return in 1984 on a float celebrating the 30th anniversary of Disneyland, then in 2005 on the special "50th Anniversary of Disney Parks Magic" float where he, a multitude of other Disney characters, and country singer LeAnn Rimes appeared to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Disney Parks. Music Generic Disney Music (Also used for Donald Duck) (1971-1974) The New Mickey Mouse Club Theme (1975-1982) Unknown (2000) "Mickey Mouse March" arrangement (2009-2012) Design Balloon * Mickey Mouse (1934-1937) * Mickey Mouse (1971-1983) * Bandleader Mickey Mouse (2000) * Sailor Mickey Mouse (2009-2012)Total appearances-21 Mascot * Mickey's 40th Birthday (1968-1969) * Test Flight (1971) * Walt Disney World Castle Float (1972-1980) * Walt Disney World Tencennial (1981-1982) * Disneyland's 30th Anniversary (1984-1985) * Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary of Disney Park Magic (2005) Incidents * In 1978 Mickey's Right Ear was possibly bent or deflated and his hand got ripped by a tree * In 1982, Mickey was pushed around by strong winds at the start. During That he hit a Street Sign with his foot and the balloon started to tilt, but he was not damaged. * In 1983, Mickey's arm was ripped off by his inflation crew during preparation, and later exploded while being inflated. Which the Explosion made almost woke up everyone in the Middle of the Night. As a result, he was retired from the parade due to the damage Category:Giant Helium Balloons Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:Cartoon Characters Category:Movie Characters Category:1934 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:1971 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2000 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Big Balloons Category:Retired Balloons Category:First Balloon in the Parade Category:Mouses Category:Disney Characters Category:Animated Shorts Characters Category:30s Balloons Category:70s Balloons Category:2000s Balloons Category:Disney